Adrianus W. Lazonder

Regulative support for collaborative scientific inquiry learning

This study examined whether online tool support for regulation promotes student learning during collaborative inquiry in a computer simulation-based learning environment. Sixty-one students worked in small groups to conduct a scientific inquiry with fluid dynamics. Groups in the experimental condition received a support tool with regulatory guidelines; control groups were given a version of this tool from which these instructions were removed. Results showed facilitative effects for the fully specified support tool on learning outcomes and initial planning. Qualitative data elucidated how regulative guidelines enhanced learning and suggests ways to further improve regulative processes within collaborative inquiry learning settings.

Do two heads search better than one? Effects of student collaboration on web search behaviour and search outcomes

This study compared Pairs of students with Single students in web search tasks. The underlying hypothesis was that peer-to-peer collaboration encourages students to articulate their thoughts, which in turn has a facilitative effect on the regulation of the search process as well as search outcomes. Both hypotheses were supported by the results. Pairs located the target information more often and in less time than Singles did. Pairs also employed a richer repertoire of search strategies and were more proficient in monitoring and evaluating their search behaviour. Implications of these findings for practice and further research are discussed.

Meta-Analysis of Inquiry-Based Learning Effects of Guidance

Research has consistently shown that inquiry-based learning can be more effective than other, more expository instructional approaches as long as students are supported adequately. But what type of guidance is adequate, and for whom? These questions are difficult to answer as most previous research has only focused on one type of guidance and one type of learner. This meta-analysis therefore synthesized the results of 72 studies to compare the effectiveness of different types of guidance for different age categories. Results showed facilitative overall effects of guidance on learning activities (d = 0.66, 95% CI [0.44, 0.88]), performance success (d = 0.71, 95% CI [0.52, 0.90]), and learning outcomes (d = 0.50, 95% CI [0.37, 0.62]). Type of guidance moderated the effects on performance success but not on the other two outcome measures. Considerable variation was found in the effects of guidance on learning activities, but the relatively low number of studies do not allow for any definitive conclusion on possible age-related differences.

Error-information in tutorial documentation

Novice users make many errors when they first try to learn how to work with a computer program like a spreadsheet or wordprocessor. No matter how user-friendly the software or the training manual, errors can and will occur. The current view on errors is that they can be helpful or disruptive, depending on the extent to which they are controlled in the learning process. This study examines one of the ways in which such error control can be brought about, namely by investigating the design and role of error-information in a (tutorial) manual. The error-information was designed to support the detection, diagnosis and correction of errors of novice users, and it was based on a general model of error-handling. In an experiment a manual that contained ample error-information was compared to a manual in which there was hardly any error-information. The outcomes showed that the presence of the error-information in the manual helped subjects perform better during practice as well as after practice. Among others, these subjects completed training faster and showed superior corrective knowledge and skill after practice, in addition to having acquired the same level of constructive skill. The discussion addresses the compensating roles of support for error-handling on screen and on paper.

Principles for Designing Web Searching Instruction

Web searching is a timely topic which importance is recognized by researchers, educators and instructional designers. This paper aims to guide these practitioners in developing instructional materials for learning to search the Web. It does so by articulating ten design principles that attend to the content and presentation of Web searching instruction. These principles convey a mixture of insights gleaned from instructional theory, empirical research, and many hours of classroom experience. Together, these design recommendations elucidate the key characteristics of effective Web searching instruction, explaining not only what the instructional materials look like, but also why they look the way they do.

Minimalist Instruction for Learning to Search the World Wide Web

This study examined the efficacy of minimalist instruction to develop self-regulatory skills involved in Web searching. Two versions of minimalist self-regulatory skill instruction were compared to a control group that was merely taught procedural skills to operate the search engine. Acquired skills were tested on Web search tasks and search tasks in an online library catalogue. Self-regulatory skill instruction was found to increase practice time by 25%. However, it did not enhance search performance on the test tasks. Explanations are advanced for these findings and topics for further research are identified.

Relative effectiveness of physical and virtual manipulatives for conceptual change in science: how falling objects fall

This study offers new insights into the ongoing debate about whether physical and virtual materials are equally effective in inquiry-based science instruction. Physical materials were predicted to have a surplus value when haptic feedback helps discern object characteristics or when the perceived credibility of experimental data can impede conceptual change. Both assumptions were tested by comparing the belief revisions and confidence ratings of children n=60 engaged in an inquiry task about falling objects. Children were assigned to one of three instructional conditions that differed with regard to the type of materials and the possibility to manipulate those materials. Main findings confirmed the alleged benefits of physical manipulation in correcting misconceptions about object characteristics that are perceived by touch. Belief revision about visually discernible characteristics proved independent of the type of material and type of manipulation, as was childrens confidence in their post-instructional beliefs. Together, these findings indicate that tactile cues derived from physical manipulation can have a unique contribution to childrens science learning.

Assessment of the minimalist approach to computer user documentation

The minimalist approach (Carroll, 1990a) advocates the development of a radically different type of manual when compared to a conventional one. For example, the manual should proceed almost directly to procedural skills development rather than building a conceptual model first. It ought to focus on authentic tasks practised in context, as opposed to mock exercises and isolated practice. In addition, it should stimulate users to exploit their knowledge and thinking, as opposed to imposing the writers view and discussing everything that users should see or know. In the first part of the paper the construction of a tutorial based on the minimalist principles is described. A parallel is drawn with constructivism with which minimalism shares important notions of instruction. In the second part, an experiment is described in which the minimal manual was tested against a conventional one. The outcome favoured the new manual. For example, minimal manual users completed about 50% more tasks successfully on a performance test and displayed significantly more self-reliance (e.g. more self-initiated error-recoveries, and fewer manual consultations).

Supporting pre-service teachers in designing technology-infused lesson plans

The present study compared the effectiveness of two types of just-in-time support for lesson planning. Both types contained the same technological information but differed regarding pedagogical and content information. The first type presented this information separately i.e., separate support; the second type presented this information in an integrated way i.e., integrated support. In an experimental design pre-service biology teachers received either the integrated support n=26 or separate support n=27. They were instructed to create a technology-infused lesson plan and justify their design decisions. Results showed that pre-service teachers who used the integrated support had more integrated pedagogical and content-related justifications and higher quality lesson plans than the group who received separate support. Both groups had few technology-related justifications, and technology integration was of low quality. These findings confirm the alleged superiority of integrated support over separate support, and suggest that additional guidance is needed for pre-service teachers to fully integrate technological, pedagogical and content information during lesson planning.

Grand Challenge Problem 3: Empowering Science Teachers Using Technology-Enhanced Scaffolding to Improve Inquiry Learning

Inquiry learning in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environments has potential to support science learning. The “symbiosis” between teachers and TEL environments is needed and, therefore, virtual assistants should be “taught” based on pedagogical theories. These assistants should be dynamically integrated with various learning environments to empower teachers and to provide effective scaffolding to every student during inquiry. Outcomes provided by the student or teacher could serve as input for the virtual assistant in addition to logging of student and teacher interactions. The virtual teacher assistant should be developed in collaboration between researchers and commercial software developers using joint research and development grants.